Future John wiped his bloody nose with the back of his wrist. Looking up from his position sprawled back against the metal floor he could see his doppelganger hunched over on his knees gasping and wheezing for breath behind the boy who had decked him moments before.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Dave asked, wiping his bloody knuckles on the side of his red suit.

"Back off," he gripped his hammer and started to stand, "This is between me and myself."

Dave drew his sword and took a defensive stance between the two Johns. "Look, you're my bro, but I am not afraid to kick your ass if you're going to be stupid."

Future John surveyed the situation. Just moments ago he had been about to finish the job when Dave appeared and punched him hard in the face. It had been a year since he had last heard from Dave, and months since he had even thought of him. It wasn't like he was expecting a warm welcome.

"Don't call me your bro," he huffed, "You destroyed my life, and now I have to clean up your mess."

"Destroyed your life? I keep having to save your gullible rump."

"You KILLED me!"

Dave pointed back at the younger John. Future John could barely see his terrified eyes behind the reflection on his glasses. "You wouldn't be here if I hadn't stopped you from..."

Future John's blood began to boil with rage, making the lava world's heated air feel cool in comparison. "You killed me you jackass!" he screamed. "ME!" He lunged at Dave, who sidestepped and stuck his leg out to trip him. In his fury he tumbled over the limb, cursing himself for falling prey to the oldest trick in the book. He slammed back onto the steel floor that he was becoming familiar with.

Future John was sick of this. He just wanted to go home. He wanted to live again. "Why did you stop me?" he shouted, picking himself up again. "I was happy."

"Happy being dead?" Dave asked in disbelief.

"Do I look dead to you?" Future John asked, waving his hand up and down across his body.

"I don't know what the hell other alternate universe of time shitanigans you came from, but you died when you went through that gate. My future self came back and we convinced you not to go. That's the reason you're alive now."

"That's the reason I'm dying now!" He just couldn't get through to this guy.

"No."

Both Dave and Future John were shocked to hear the weak voice speak for the first time. They turned to John, who was carefully touching his bruised throat. The red and blue marks spread across his skin like tie dye.

"You have to believe him," John pleaded to his future self, "He's my, our, best friend. I trust him. Please."

"Best friend?" Future John scoffed, "Didn't you hear him? He was in the future for nearly a year without you. And in that time he never contacted us. Not even when I tried. When I needed a friend this past year, he wasn't the one who was there."

In that very moment, Dave was silently thankful that he had placed himself in front of the John he knew. He wouldn't have wanted him to see his cool demeanor slip to reveal how much those words hurt.

He composed himself quickly, shaking his head. "No way, man. You're wrong. If I didn't contact you it was because you were dead. You can't message a dead person."

"You keep talking about me being dead like it's no big deal. You really don't care," Future John spat.

Dave was about to snap. "I WOULD NEVER LET YOU DIE!"

Out of nowhere a blur of orange shifted between Dave and Future John. Davesprite fanned out his wings to block Dave and John from view and faced off with Future John. Future John stepped back, confused and cautious of the strange Dave-like figure with a sword in its stomach.

"You wanna talk now?" Davesprite asked, his voice much calmer and more serious than his younger self. "Alright, let's get this mess cleared up. Talk to me, I'm the one that's been to the future."

Future John blinked. Something about this just wasn't right.

"Look," Davesprite confessed, "Every moment in the future... knowing that you were dead hurt. But that's why I had to keep going. I had to learn more, to get stronger. So I could protect you, and Jade, and Rose. But I always knew I would come back for you, man. I would never just leave you. And I'm not going to let you kill yourself now."

Future John wasn't listening. Something about this just wasn't right. He reached out to touch Davesprite, but stopped. His outstretched hand curled into a fist and he dropped it to his side. This wasn't right at all.

"Why are you still here! Why aren't you fading away?"

Davesprite looked confused.

"You're from the alternate future... Don't you feel it!" Future John questioned. Every moment he could feel the sting of nonexistance as it chipped away at his life. Eating away the past year, second by painful second. Why was Future Dave unaffected?

"When I came back to save you I prototyped myself with the kernelsprite. I'm not really Future Dave anymore, I'm Davesprite. That voids the timeline paradox, I guess."

"Bullshit!" Future John wiped his sweating hands on his pant legs and brandished his hammer once more. "I'm sick of this. I'm going back home." He swung at Davesprite, the spiked hammer's head flew clean through Davesprite's body. While he flinched, Future John rushed past, readying his hammer for another strike. He aimed for his younger self's head. This time he would simply smash his brains out. It would be quick and effective if he could only land the hit.

As he brought the hammer down his legs were pushed out from under him by a flying tackle from Dave. Future John greeted the hot metal floor once again.